Quote from: Senator L on October 06, 2014, 10:25:45 PM
I don't get why so many people don't like Wise Dan. Mike Watchmaker has him
listed as #2 in the turf category! lol It's like he isn't reading his own words 
1 – Main Sequence,
by Aldebaran
Earned this with three straight Gr. 1 wins
2 – Wise Dan,
by Wiseman's Ferry
Been 3 years since he was worse than 2nd
I think the reality is that while Americans rarely go over 10 furlongs (heck - truth be told they rarely go 10 furlongs), there is a prejudice against horses that win at shorter distances. They are not as impressive as the stayers. Wise Dan has been impressive.
Distances being considered equal, Main Sequence has two arguments in his favor. First, he has won three G1 races in a row. This is a fact. And Wise Dan has only won 3 out of 4 G1 races this year. In addition, I think if you rated the fields, Main Sequence's may have been slightly better than Wise Dan's. The wins have been at multiple distances at multiple tracks.
Dan's strengths for me are the fact that he is coming off a serious illness, has faced increasingly competitive fields, has had BSFs of 100 or above in his last two efforts. I also believe that Dan seems like he is moving forward with a head win first out after his return, and then a length and a half, while Main Sequence appeared to win in his first two G1s more impressively than his last effort. And he has won as multiple distances.
I think the case can be made for each.
I also believe that some persons have a concern similar to that expressed here regarding Wise Dan winning HOTY for a third time and thus figuring into the ranks of horses like Forego. For me this is silly. I believe Wise Dan is certainly a Hall of Fame horse, but he is not in the top 10 of horses all-time. He is remarkable not only because of his talent, but also his durability. While persons of a particular era like to believe that their horses are among the best ever you need distance and time separation to really make that determination.
